Posts tagged language

Despite how far the internet has come, it hasn't quite conquered the language barrier. The devs behind Pocket know this and have added new languages to hopefully make the delayed-reading app a bit easier to use if English isn't your native tongue. To wit, the application is now available in French...

We recently stumbled across a post from Vocab Ninja which lists out the 32 text-to-speech voices Apple uses in iOS 7. From Arabic to Czech, and from Korean to Turkish, it's interesting to wade through all the different languages and see how iOS reads out "Luke, I am your father" in a variety of diff...

Are you eagerly anticipating a release of Black Desert in the west despite the lack of an official publisher or anything similar? There's good news to be had if you're one of the hopeful. Apparently an English client is being worked on by developer Pearl Abyss, reinforcing earlier statements by the...

If you're wondering what's up with today's Google Doodle, it's honoring Grace Hopper, the mathematician who pioneered the use of English-like programming languages. Prior to her work, computers were considered to be glorified calculators and were programmed with binary machine code, which kept the...

Earlier this month Microsoft trimmed the list of countries where its Xbox One will launch to 13, and now it's revealed the new Kinect voice commands will only support all of its features in some of them. Pointed out by a thread on NeoGAF, a disclaimer on Xbox.com listed only a few countries with s...

Duolingo takes a fun approach to language learning. It gamifies the process by breaking down lessons into digestible chunks and rewarding you for your progress. Starting today, you can enjoy the app on your iPad as well as your iPhone.
Duolingo requires an account to keep track of your achievemen...

Although Google Drive has spread far and wide, its localization hasn't always kept pace. The service just took a few needed strides forward, however, with the addition of 18 new languages. Asia gets the most recognition with support for Hong Kong Chinese, Khmer, Lao, Malaysian, Nepali, Persian, Si...

Gesture lovers and polyglots rejoice! Yesterday, Google updated Gesture Search for Android phones and tablets, making it compatible with even more languages. The app provides quick access to music, contacts, applications, settings and bookmarks -- to name some -- by letting users simply draw chara...

Though some may look down on Star Trek's fictional Klingon language and invoke the infamous phrase uttered by William Shatner -- "Get a life!" -- Microsoft's Bing translation team doesn't see it that way at all. As part of a marketing join-up with Paramount Pictures, the service will be offering t...

Google Translate's truly a wonder of modern technology, with the ability to translate 64 70 languages, whether they are written, spoken or even photographed. Today Google's made it easier than ever to remain mono-lingual when traveling abroad by updating the Translate app for Android with Phrasebo...

Twitter has updated its Twitter for Mac client, and you can see all of the new changes on the official company blog. The biggest update is that you now get a camera icon when you're composing a tweet, which makes it easier than ever to share pictures straight from your desktop (other Twitter cl...

Travelers face a dilemma: they'll often leave a phone in airplane mode to avoid expensive roaming rates or a foreign SIM, but staying offline can break the translation services that might prove vital in a strange land. Google must have heard their plight, as a new version of Google Translate on An...

The Swedish Language Council appeared on Google's radar when it wanted to add the term ungoogleable (in Swedish, ogooglebar -- yep) to a list of new words. The company didn't want the word nixed, but redefined to reference Google directly and not just any general search engine -- this was the init...

Babbel's been doing a solid job of picking up users as it attempts to help people around the world learn new tongues over their lunch breaks, but evidently, it's not picking up steam in the US as well as it would like. The remedy? Buy the market share one so desires. Today, the company has announc...

Yours truly has had some pretty positive experiences with Babbel's existing product line, with the latest being a subscription-based alternative for iPad that makes it a lot more affordable to learn the basics of 11 different tongues. After launching last October on Windows 8, the outfit is showin...

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Nikunj, who wants to produce his own apps for both sides of the smartphone war. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line ...

Looks as if there's a new twist in the language learning game. Following the release of a basics guide on the iPad last year, Babbel has decided to bring most of its 11 language guides to Apple's tablet line -- but rather than forcing customers to fork out giant sums for the full monty, it's offer...

Google has added functionality to the web version of its Translate service, now making it even easier for us to use and understand foreign tongues. Instead of a single result, you'll be presented with a list of the most common translations, ordered and labeled by how frequently each one is used. W...

Google's multi-lingual translation app decided that (online) words were not enough. Beyond digital text, a new update to Translate will let Google's bots translate what you're looking at, whether that's hand-written directions or a sign saying, "wrong way." Though its not the first time we've seen...